Pete Lund’s blocSonic fortyFive release

Pete Lund’s blocSonic fortyFive release “Back from ’91” has been receiving some interest, judging by the nearly 2,500 downloads from the Free Music Archive.

This gives me an excuse to talk about some of the key components of that recording!

First up is that its a great example of Michael Joly’s K47H capsule designed for the Oktava MK-012 SDC body. This was one of my first tests of the mic, and I believe it shined. Here’s the chain: K47H -> Buzz Audio Elixir -> Purple Audio ODD eq -> JLM LA500 compressor. For Pete, the mic worked great, and so did the ODD eq. There’s something about the sound it imparts. And while I’ve not spoken much about the JLM LA500, let’s just say this: if I win the lottery, I’m buying everything he produces! Yeah, it adds some color, but not too much. It’s great to track with, and really “levels” in a way that never ruins, but always makes things sound better. In case this wasn’t clear up front, that chain went to “tape.” Of course there’s the debate about outboard gear vs. plugins. But my experience is this: getting the sound right from the get go really makes things move along, both artistically and time wise. And, while I believe if one knows what they’re doing they can get a “pro” mix with plugins, my own experience is that a complete front end chain just brings things to a new level.

Enough tech talk. The fact is, we managed to capture a great performance and feel for these two great songs. Without a great song, and a great performance, what’s the point?